Potential new Man United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has big plans for Old Trafford should the British businessman have his offer for part of the Premier League club accepted by the club’s board.
The INEOS CEO looks to have won the race to get in the door at Man United after the Qataris – led by Sheikh Jassim – withdrew their bid last week as they wanted complete control of the Manchester club but their offer of around £5.5bn was short of the Glazer family’s £6bn asking price.
The way the Glazers have dealt with Qatar shows that they are not ready to part ways with the Manchester club yet and therefore, Ratcliffe saw the minority stake route as the only way in the door at Man United – with the hope of taking full control in the future.
Ratcliffe’s proposed deal to buy a 25 per cent stake in the Premier League club for £1.3billion was supposed to be ratified at Thursday’s board meeting but the decision from Man United’s hierarchy has been delayed for the time being.
According to Sky Sports, the Englishman and his team will take control of footballing operations at United and they also have big plans for Old Trafford.
According to The Times, Ratcliffe and INEOS are planning to explore how to rebuild Old Trafford into a 90,000 seater, increasing its current capacity by almost 15,000. That number is certainly headline-making as it would put the stadium on par with Wembley.
This would be a game-changer for Man United as not only would it bring in more matchday revenue but a modern Old Trafford would see more concerts and events brought to the stadium. In its current state, music artists have overlooked the stadium in favour of Man City’s Etihad Stadium, despite it having a lower capacity.
This is due to the better facilities on offer but that could change down the line if Ratcliffe’s plans materialise.